Guide

Thursday, January 3, 2013
• 4:02 PM •

Happy New Year fashionistas! I’m stoked for what 2013 will bring us this year! I feel pumped to start anew and work hard!

With so many sales happening this holiday and the new collections that are making its way onto the racks, I can no longer ignore how terribly packed and messy my closet is. What better way to start the new year with a “new” clean closet, all spacious for my new wardrobe.

This may just seem like advice on how to clean your closet, but it does quite closely relate to style. You’re not just reorganizing your closet, you’re getting to know your wardrobe and tossing out things you don’t need. When you have a better idea of what you have, it makes it that much easier to style yourself everyday, integrating old and new things together.

Let’s start:

Make 3 piles/baskets: KEEP, TOSS, & UNSUREs.

Most likely your closet is divided into sections. So let’s literally clear out the biggest section and start sorting. I find that starting section by section is less overwhelming!

KEEP pile: Stuff you love to wear – where you sometimes base your whole outfit on. Also, this pile might contain clothes that are classic staples, like a tank top or cardigan. These should be things you’ve worn/used in the past 6 months, or 12 months for season-specific items (swimsuits, shorts, coats, etc.…).
You can keep something special in your closet if it is THAT meaningful to you (i.e. your wedding dress) but let’s not start keeping clothes back when you were 5 to maybe one day dress your own child with.
For clothes that are for specific occasions like formal dresses that you would wear at a wedding, as an example. Ask yourself, if this event took place literally in a week from today, do you see yourself wearing it a week from now or do you see yourself buying something new. If it’s the former, then KEEP it.DO NOT KEEP the clothes because you hope to fit in it one day, like a prize to yourself if you finally get the physique of your dreams. Toss these away because you deserve to buy yourself new hot wardrobe for this new you when you get there!TOSS pile: Stuff that are collecting dust in your closet because you have not been using them! Also toss away clothes that don’t fit you anymore or that clearly has defects, like irremovable stains.

UNSURE pile: Everyone has a little bit of a hoarder personality, not wanting to let go of things “in case you need it” or because of sentimental reasons. This pile should not be large. If you see that the Unsure pile has more than your Keep pile, you’re probably being too lenient! Re-sort your Unsure pile to the best of your ability. I get it. Right now you’re on the spot to make a black and white answer and it could get tough. Though if you’re struggling, here’s a helpful read on How To Let Go Of Possessions.

It might help for you to have a close friend to sift through your Keep and Unsure piles for their honest advice. It could be fun to come up with potential outfits with your friend.

With the Keep pile, reorganize your closet. I personally do it by sleeve length and then by color. That way, my short sleeve clothes don’t get lost between my long sleeve clothes of the same color. It’s also easier to point myself in a particular area and work with a smaller section instead of my whole closet! (Won’t be in the long sleeve area during a hot summer day!)
Section off your closet. Areas for shoes and an area for handbags, which can be organized by season or color or even by designer! (Like Christina Aguilera above).With the Toss pile, ask your family members and friends to take a look at your toss pile and pull out things that they’d like to keep. That way it goes in their closet instead of yours! With the clothes left over, you can donate them to an organization that welcomes donations of all sorts like the Salvation Army!

With the Unsure pile, pack it up in a box and date it and store it somewhere else for 6 months. If you feel that within those 6 months, you haven’t forgotten about the Unsure box and actually had the urge to open that box to retrieve something from it for an outfit that day, keep it. Otherwise, toss/donate the stuff you have not bothered to touch!

Declutter as often as you can, because it’s sometimes inevitable for it to become a mess again. Do it by season or every 6 months!

Hopefully you gain a better understanding of what you own and how each item can mix and match with other things in your closet. You’ll feel great about yourself because of how this closet organization is time well spent, but the things you’re about to Toss is going somewhere where it would be a lot more appreciated!

Monday, November 19, 2012
• 4:20 PM •

Rose Gold: It’s pretty, feminine, trendy, and not the easiest to match! We’re so used to having silver and gold accessories, rose gold just seems to be a whole new concept. It’s trendy enough to find it anywhere and now more and more retailers have considered rose gold to be just as classic as silver and gold.

I know for myself that I’ve fallen in love with Michael Kors Rose Gold watches but super hesitant to invest in a piece, for fear of not using it as much because I’m not sure how it would integrate with my current wardrobe and accessories.

But fear not, I have come up with easy tips on how rose gold can work for you!

Michael Kors “Garret” Watch in Rose Gold, MK5620

Substitute Yellow Gold with Rose Gold

We think that silver and gold, are “neutral” in color because they are metals, and thus can pair well with any colored piece of clothing. Though this is true, some colors pair better with one over the other. For example, a navy blue can look sophisticated and great with silver accessories, but pairing the navy with yellow gold enriches the navy because navy itself is a warm tone in the blue family and it contrasts beautifully with boldness and richness of the gold.

Rose Gold is a warm colored metal, much like yellow gold. So if your reflex is to reach for yellow gold, guide yourself to pick rose gold items instead! It has the same kind of contrasting effect as yellow gold, but, in my opinion, more toned down and “cool”. On the other hand, the copper tone, like an icy pink can look just as great with cold vibrant colors.

Besides, who says you only have to commit to one metal color? When you’re cohesive with your outfit by having some kind of flow or story on how you assemble your outfit, you can do anything! So have fun with layering short and long necklaces and stacking bangles and bracelets, silver/rose gold, gold/rose gold, or silver/gold. This can be very fun when you feel like you want spruce up a plain and casual outfit.

Let’s embrace rose gold for its soft and feminine color. Go nude! I mean color-wise! Wear clothing from the nude color family: dusty pink, beige, with a bit of cream, taupe and coral. So when you pair rose gold jewellery, it makes a nice pink-ish theme without going overboard.

Hermes Rose Gold Bracelet

Thursday, October 11, 2012
• 3:49 AM •

You don’t need a lot of disposable income to look polished, sophisticated, or “expensive”. Sure, there are some classic pieces that you can invest in to use season after season, but for the most part we all need to learn how to integrate inexpensive items of clothing into an outfit without looking cheap. Styling is everything!

I would say that this is a continuation of the Snob Affair Styling Laws from the How to be a S.N.O.B post. It might help to read that too since I do have some references from that guide. Here’s the short PDF version, available in the Downloads Section:

Here’s a list of Do’s and Dont’s in order to look like a million bucks without spending so much. The key is to look like you own quality items. Keep it clean and simple. The “Less is More” concept is rather important if you want to look polished and sophisticated (but not boring!).

CONCEPT

One thing you should always keep in mind is that the quality of your outfit should speak for itself. Basically, you shouldn’t rely on brand labels and logos to be plastered everywhere to prove a point.

Do not OVERBRAND.I mean for the most part, designer clothing are of good quality, but if your outfit has too many brand logos/monogram, it becomes tacky. First of all, having various designer-monogrammed accessories or clothing all mixed in together doesn’t necessarily mean it complements each other or matches. Second, it just looks like you’re trying too hard. Your look should look effortless, like being stylish is your second nature.Tip: Stick to a designer or two and limit yourself with displaying monogram/brand logos.

Have structure in your outfit.Structure in clothing/accessories is another indication of quality. The structure arises from quality textiles that are strong, durable, and are carefully-dyed (so that the original color lasts after being washed numerous times).Tip: A simple blazer can help give structure in your outfit’s silhouette. Also, if you wear fitted clothes (not skin-tight), it can achieve the look of structure, because then, your body frame becomes the “structure”.From the Snob Affair Styling laws, we learned the importance of balance. So even if you do have a bulky sweater, you can pair it with cool leggings or structured skinny pants/jeans.

STYLING

Be cautious of wearing black on black.
When you pair (fully) black pieces of clothing together side by side. It’s sometimes obvious that the black dye varies a lot. Some blacks are richer than others and so if you pair them all together, the black pieces that seem lighter than others, cheapen your look because it looks washed-out and old (even if it isn’t).Tip: Experiment mixing different black textures/textiles if you’re wearing all black. Polyester and cotton are very common, so once you pair that with a fabric that looks and feels different (Ex: velvet, silk, lace, sheer fabric), it enriches your look while still maintaining an all-black dress code. If you don’t necessarily have to wear all black, another tip is to use “separator” pieces of clothing. Say your cardigan and pants are two tones of black, wear a non-black top underneath your black cardigan to separate the two black items of clothing. This way, it’s less obvious that they aren’t the same tone of black.

Be cautious of bulky embellishments.
Avoid massive blingy rhinestone embellishments, which can sometimes be sewn at the center of the outfit, like in the purple dress below. Obviously, the embellishment is not meant to fool people into thinking it’s real diamonds and gemstones, but the problem with fake rhinestone embellishments is that the stones can easily look too plastic or the metal parts supporting the embellishments are tarnishing. This also applies to tarnishing and low-quality statement jewellery, handbags or belts with showy embellished buckles.Tip: Try to have some embellishments that are more spread out across the clothing/dress. If you want sparkly embellishments in your dress or top, check if the item is of good quality by testing to see if the embellishments are well-intact or well-sewn onto the garment. Otherwise, find other types of embellishments like studs, lace, metallic fabric accents, and beading, which are usually more intact. Be very careful with sequins and crystal-like “stones”, because even after washing the item, water/dried-up water ruins the shine of embellishments and ages the look altogether rather quickly.

Avoid one densely-bulky embellishment which looks like a brooch. It ages you!

Long Sheer Embellished Dress by Mango.

Be cautious of obvious stitching on the trimming of clothes and accessories.
What I mean by obvious stitching is for example, you have an all black handbag but the stitching is white or a pale color that really contrasts with the black fabric of the bag. I would say this occurs most with accessories like belts, handbags, shoes, etc… It’s not that it’s hideous, it just “casualizes” your outfit when you’re making a bold or sharp statement.

Tip: Check for stitching that is more or less the same color as the primary color of the item in question.

Be cautious of black leather or leather-like handbags.
Black leather or synthetic leather tend to look aged and worn out pretty quickly. Handbags are not only used for practical reasons. It is part of the accessory family, and accessories are used to give your outfit a nice accent and complete the whole look. So having a bag that looks worn out does exactly the opposite.Tip: Avoid slouchy or ruched-leather handbags or bags with no form, shape or structure. Structure in terms of the ability to literally stand on its own or have a rather rectangular form or base. Go for thicker and smoother leathers or leathers that have an evident pattern (crocodile pattern leather). Leather that has been treated to be more tougher or glossy (patent leather) is also another option. You can also opt for other textiles like canvas/fabric!
Other tips when choosing handbags is to choose bags with round handles. Also, the longer the handles, the more casual it becomes, but the determining factor is the design and structure of the actual bag (ex: Louis Vuitton totes have a nice form!)

Be cautious of picking the right jean wash.To look polished, wear simple clean cut jeans. In terms of color, do avoid the super-faded washed out jeans. Some fading is forgivable but when the jeans are bleached so much to the point that it looks like someone splattered white paint on your jeans, you should step away. In terms of design, avoid ripped jeans or jeans with back pockets covered with over-the-top embellishments (glitter or too much obvious stitching), a lot of tweens and teenagers wear these type of jeans for their loud designs.Tip: The more dressier jeans are for the most part, solid colors with darker washes, like dark blue/navy or black. These can be dressed up or down but still give off a classy look. If you like jeans that are of paler tones, you can achieve classy looks if the top portion of your outfit is all white or light-colored.

True Religion Jeans. Say no to these washes.

Jessica Simpson Forever Skinny Jeans. Classy and sassy.

Black stud jeans by Mango are awesome! It’s a good amount of embelllishments!

AVOID

Avoid side and elastic/adjustable ruching (especially on cotton spandex!)
Ruching is “A strip of fabric or ribbon is gathered in a repeat pattern”. Ruching can add some “drape-like” ripples to feminize or romanticize clothing, but it does the exact opposite when you have side, elastic, or adjustable ruching. You would think that ruching can help conceal uncomfortable areas, but it can easily look unflattering and cheap. Think like when you wear a skirt or dress a size too small, the fabric stretches from the sides and material bunch up and folds (like in the picture with Jordan Sparks).